What are your favorite offbeat cookbooks?

I'd like to get her a fun cookbook as a house warming gift but something beyond the realm of The Silver Palate and other "normal" cookbooks.

What's out there for the offbeat chefs that produces tasty results?

-Mel

I know a LOT of you left some great Megan-simple cookbook ideas for me back when I was doing my cooking challenge. What about cookbooks for people who aren't afraid to get experimental? Not that this will surprise you, but here are MY offbeat cookbook suggestions…

The Game of Thrones cookbook is a collection of hearty meals inspired by George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series! Including recipes for Arbor Red Wine, the Stark's Venison, Apple, Cheddar Plaits, The Imp's Wild Strawberry Fool and Wilding Grilled Pork Chops with Stir-Grilled Apples.

The Manga Cookbook is an illustrated guide to preparing Japanese cuisine. Learn to identify and make the same things you see in all your favorite manga, including: onigiri, rice balls, yakitori, skewered chicken oshinko, pickled vegetables udon, Japanese noodles, and loads more.

What are YOUR (possibly less nerdy) suggestions for offbeat cookbook ideas for people who actually LOVE to cook?

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Megan Finley

Megan Finley is the Associate Publisher and Editorial Overlord. When she's not slaving away for the Empire, she's sharing her dork side on her own blog.

Elizabeth Falkner's Demolition Desserts! The desserts are all delicious and look beautiful, but are broken down into easy-to-do segments. Plus, Falkner's manga-inspired alter ego graces the pages. It's one of the few cookbooks that I keep going back to over and over again. You can find it on Amazon.

Yes! A friend of mine gave me the Redwall Cookbook for Christmas, and it is amazing. The other day I made deeper'n'ever turnip'n'tater'n'beetroot pie, and it was absolutely delicious. At some point I'll have to get some friends together and throw a proper Mossflower Feast.

oh my. i looked for one of these for *years*. because, not only do i have the redwall collection, but i think i was a better cook in 3rd grade (when the collection started) than i am now. oh, how dearly i wanted this then. i am so excited to see that it exists now.

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian – by the same publishers of How to Cook Everything, but for veggies. While this book does offer recipes, I use it more as a reference manual than anythign else. For instance, I want ot make ice cream, I can find the basic recipe, they're suggested substitutions and make anything I want with their ratios.

These are really only offbeat for their vegetarian factor, but I still thought they were very valuable and still wrth mentioning!!

Similar idea is Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese – tells you all the stuff thats worth making yourself and whats not, comparing costs of materials to cost of store bought, and effort put in with how good the results are etc. The writing it light and easy, but soooo informative!!

The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook is fun for a fan of the series, and reminds me of watching Alton Brown (good eats) because all the recipes are accompanied by 'sponsor tips' with fun information on cooking techniques. Aimed at a younger audience for sure, but has a couple wild game recipes, which isn't necesarily standard to find.

On the topic of nerdy cookbooks, years ago my husband bought Nanny Ogg's Cookbook and we have not regretted it. (To be fair, we read it more than we cooked from it. The only thing he made were the Strawberry Wobblers, because, you know, it's not a party until you're eating a penis desert. #MatureAdults!)

The cookbook I wish I had the skills to use more often: Marcel Desaulniers's "Death by Chocolate". Oh, the cakes in that book! Although they aren't so much chocolate cakes as they are chocolate aedifices…or chocolate castles =)

The cookbooks I actually use daily are "Nourishing Traditions" (Sally Fallon), "50 Great Curries of India" (Camellia Panjabi) and (for Australian readers, although there may also be a US edition) "Frugavore" by Arabella Forge. The curry book has some really intricate party dishes and dessert ideas, as well as simple 'weeknight' curries.

My kitchen bible, however,is my mum's 1950s edition of "The Constance Spry Cookery Book". Apparently it is now back in print (hurrah!!) and is well worth a look if you like tasty food from the best of the English and French traditions.

I 10000000% reccomend the LEON cookbooks. I bought them in one of their London restaurants (but have bought them from amazon for friends), and there hasn't been a single recipe (and we've tried many) we haven't absolutely loved. Plus, they look amazing and make for great gifts, and it's wholesome, healthy food with a dose of indulgent recipes. I can't say enough good things abou them.

If she eats meat, I recommend "The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating". It's got recipes for literally every part of an animal, even bone marrow. It's not necessarily something everyone would eat, but it's fun to read about!

I am a huge food nerd, so sorry if I bombard you with cookbook suggestions!

The Urban Cookbook is a great cookbook with an emphasis on international street food that is full of gorgeous photos & interviews with graffiti artists/skaters/djs whathaveyou. It is pretty and interesting enough to sit on your coffee table.

The Moosewood Cookbook is a classic vegetarian cookbook – I think my parents had it in the 70's. Some of the recipes are a little retro, and it's definitely not for vegans (SOOO MUCH YOGURT!) but it's a fun throwback with a charming hippie vibe.

Not Your Mother's Cookbook is for those of us who cook because it's fun – it's full of weird, geeky, food experiments (like eggs cooked for 12 hours in Turkish Coffee) and classic weird food tricks (beer can chicken). Funny writing as well.

I am loving Make The Bread, Buy The Butter, which was a birthday gift from a friend. It's great for those of us who want to Make More Stuff – like yogurt, bagels, cheese, & sausage) foodie nerds (why yes, I did make these cocktail bitters myself!) and Cheap Asses (homemade bread costs less than $1 a loaf?!), with cost comparisons for every item. I am all three, so this book has been open on my kitchen counter for months.

I am also really partial to a little book called Far East, Down East, an asian cookbook specifically for New England ingredients. It combines my international tastes with my locavore ambitions.

I love Mollie Katzen's "The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest." It's a beautiful hand illustrated vegetarian cookbook, and a bunch of her recipes have become staples in our house (her leek and potato soup recipe is amazing!). There's also a section that helps guide you into creating concoctions of your own, and it lists flavours/spices/foods typical of different kinds of cuisines that can help you throw something together in a particular style.

Ooh, thanks for recommending this! I want to start getting a list of cookbooks together to ask for for Christmas (I've only been vegan since February) and I was hoping someone would recommend a vegan cookbook.

Though I would definitely love to try to veganize some of the recipes in the Game of Thrones cookbook(s).

I cook all the time and have been vegan for about a year now after cooking vegan on and off for about 3 years. Vegan with a Vengeance is my FAVORITE cookbook!!! Every single thing I have cooked from that book has been excellent and adored by all, both vegan and omnivore. Awesome pancake recipe and vegan spanakopita to mention a few of my favs. :o)

i know it's not particularly offbeat… but my without a doubt, absolute favorite cookbook is America's Test Kitchen: The Complete TV Show Cookbook (which appears to come out annually). The recipes seem pretty ordinary, but they are 1. beyond delicious, and 2. they have a section before each and every recipe explaining how they came up with their variations on the traditional recipe and why, and about any special techniques they may use. it's fascinating, and really helpful to understand the 'why's' of recipes. the folks at America's Test Kitchen are like kitchen scientists (or wizards!) and really bring a whole new level of interest to cooking. not to mention Christopher Kimball (the chef/host) always wears a bow tie. *gushing complete*

I really love the new HeIdi Swanson cookbook- Super Natural Cooking Every Day. Her recipes are more than the sum of their parts and I would not have thought of them myself. I also love Nigel Slaters book, Tender. It is beautiful to look at and nice for gardeners.

My favorite easy-to-find cookbook is "World of the East Vegetarian Cooking." Tons of delicious Asian recipes, all vegetarian, that make your house smell amazing and use every spice in your cupboard.

My favorite obscure cookbook is one I found while visiting Wyoming: "The Cowboy Cookbook." It has lots of historic trail recipes, including one stew I've fallen in love with, and lots of fun cowboy information (guide to cattle brands, where the chuck wagon goes on the cattle drive, etc.). It also includes a recipe for a pit barbecue for 1000, and I keep searching for an excuse (and the money and space) to do it. Who doesn't love a recipe that starts by directing you to dig a long, deep trench?

We got The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper as our gift for pledging to NPR and it's become a favorite. Lots of fun quotes and interesting facts and stories about different foods and dishes in addition to the recipes.

OOH COOKBOOKS! While I myself am a non cook, (seemingly) EVERYONE I am close to is the total opposite. Having an interest in learning to cook I get SOO many cookbooks as gifts, so these are just my favourites.

Giving a local (but still available for shipment worldwide) option, For the Breast of Friends: Women Working Together for a Cure is the first of six cookbooks made by a group of women that give the net proceeds from all their books to cancer organizations and research (they started with breast cancer then expanded). The recipes are amazing (and SO easy to understand) and interspersed with great quotes and facts. Explore their website and pick their book that seems the most what you are looking for, but I would say that the earlier you go the more focused they are on good old fashioned home cooking.

I will let you know that their latest book (Breast Friends Inspire Health) has moved into the realm of "healthy" eating, and that they have also based their organization on personal experience, so they can be a little "only women get breast cancer" and "let's pray about this" but damn can they cook.

We received the Star Wars cookbook for Yule! We're going to make some of the recipes when the gift giver is in town next month.

Some of my old favorites have been mentioned, but another fun book is A Kitchen Witch's Cookbook. If you're wanting to kick it old school, there's always the Vegetarian Epicure (The Moosewood has already been mentioned).

I love the Moosewood cookbooks, which have already been mentioned. My favorite offbeat baking cookbook is Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. It's got lots of interesting and creative flavor combos, and the best brownie recipe EVER! They have a second book out too, but I haven't looked at it yet. I'm sure it's just as awesome!

I also love The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook. It's written as a year in the life of a restaurant, so you get perspective on living in one of the most beautiful places in the country as well as a bunch of delicious recipes. Lots of rustic desserts and some non-traditional entree options such as venison, rabbit, and quail.

Not a specific cookbook, but my dad collects cookbooks and has given me a few vintage ones that he found at yardsales or in second hand stores. Their lots of fun, some of my favorite recipes come from my vintage cook books.

Don't feed the bears – a vegan cookbook
Which includes suggestions for what death metal goes with each recipe, and threatens to punch you in the fucking face if you dare add celery to his chilli recipe

I LOVE vintage cookbooks! And I think they make great gifts! You can find them at antiques stores and on ebay. I have one from the 40s called "The American Woman's Cookbook." with great old fashioned recipes and instruction on canning and hosting a party! Plus it came with its former owners hand-jotted recipes and news-clippings inside.
Another vintage cookbook I love is Peggy Bracken's "I Hate to Cook Book." Its from the 60's and is designed for housewife who don't like to cook with simple recipes and cute illustrations. I love to cook, but I still love that cookbook.

One of my personal favorites is one I inherited from my Grandma when she moved into an assisted living facility: Get It On In The Kitchen (Grapefruit Publishing, Seattle, 1974)

The recipes are suprisingly good, and it has boobies and grapes on the cover. There's sections like "After hours" and "for the inlaws" and a recipe for Pasties and Celery. Sadly, it seems to be out of print.

Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache by Harry Eastwood is FANTASTIC and will make you rethink everything you know about baking delicious cakes. Most of the recipes (the scones call for spelt flour) are wheat/gluten free as well, which works well for celiac me! The whole philosophy is that ingredients like butter should be saved for the parts of the cake where you can taste it (like a delicious buttercream icing) and replaces the butter etc in the cake itself with vegetables. And it works! The cakes are amazing.

I love Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go. The recipes are great and the pictures are fun to look at. And if you're not scared off by not being able to read the recipe – there are a lot of other fun bento cookbooks on Amazon.

Soul Veg! It's a loving tribute to plant based soul food. I love the collard greens redux and the peach salsa. Also, each recipe comes with a song or book recommendation to help get you in the mood for the food.

You're all probably going to laugh, but if you find a good condition vintage Joy Of Cooking, buy that thing! You'd want anything prior to the 1995 edition. Don't think it's offbeat? Name another cookbook that will tell you the proper method of cooking a porcupine. Joy totally has that! I also loooove my Moosewood cookbook for some of their quirky fare. The Zucchini crusted pizza is a staple in my house. Happy browsing and I know your friend will enjoy whatever she receives!

I don't know if it's offbeat, but it's awesome and sort of science-y. The Flavor Bible is basically an ingredients index – look up an ingredient (chickpeas, for example) and it tells you all the other ingredients that go with it! So very useful, especially if you're new to cooking.

I have to say that while I am not a huge heavy metal fan in general, I was totally psyched about my boyfriend's purchase of Hellbent for Cooking: The Heavy Metal Cookbook. Not only are the recipes hearty and home-style, but they were submitted by heavy metal artists from all different countries. The result is a delicious collection of off-beat recipes from around the world!

I've got to recommend Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management for any history and/or Victorin era buffs. It's 90% neato Victorian recipes (and illustrations!) with the rest being tips on running a household such as how to remove stubborn stains, the best way to organize a closet and what servants should be paid. Plus gotta give some props to a book that's been continuously in print for over 150 years.

I have a ton of antique cookbooks that were my mothers and my grandmothers. The ones from the 50s crack me up. The campbells soup cookbook, the homemakers guide, all kinds of bizarre retro confections to be found in there.

For the historical nerds, Colonial Williamsburg has a number of really yummy cook books in their collection. The recipes are a combination of classics done perfectly to a number of extra yummy classics that have been more or less forgotten. I got two of them for wedding gift and I haven't had a flop yet.

There have been a lot of shout outs to Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's books, but nobody mentioned the Veganomicon, which even if you're not vegan, just has an awesome name. Also, "The Kind Diet" by Alicia Silverstone has recipes but also explains the environmental impact of the food you eat. My dad's side of the family is all aging hippies, and they love the recipes from that book when I bring them to family gatherings. I would also recommend picking up cookbooks at museums or ethnic church fairs. My mother has a cookbook with old German family recipes that her mother gave her (my grandmother grew up in Munich, North Dakota, which is like Chintatown but for Germans). I'm in MA, so we have places like Old Sturbridge Village and Plymouth Plantation, and they sell cookbooks and craft books like they had in ye olde days.

I haven't actually bought any of the below yet, but they've gotten good reviews and they're all on my Amazon.com wishlist.

Expensive but OMG do I want this! Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. The set breaks down the whys and hows behind things (want crispy fried fish? know what temp, how much oil, etc.) and there are AMAZING photographs. Check 'em out — This stuff isn't PhotoShopped. They actually cut pots & pans in half to show the inner workings and check out the bullet through the eggs! 😀

Highly recommended: Momofuku.
Delicious twists on standard recipes of different Asian cultures and also uses the word F*ck. Seriously, check out the reviews on this one.

I'm looking forward to getting the Manga Cookbook someday… and to any other anime fans, specifically ones who like Ouran High School Host Club, Vampire Knight, Fullmetal Alchemist, an international fan club I am in (Risembool Rangers) is soon to release a Cookbook full of fun recipes, art, and even poems (one of which I contributed). I can't wait to purchase mine!

You wanna talk about Megan-simple cookbooks, check out the "The (Reluctant , Nervous, Lazy, Broke, Busy, Confused) College Student's Cookbook" by Joshua N. Lambert. For the extreme beginner, tells you things like how to boil water and walks you through the process of setting up a basic kitchen and what tools you need and what staples to buy. Lots of cook-ahead recipes and everything is very simple ingredients.

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